Honk more, wait more: Mumbai traffic police introduce the ‘punishing signal’

Representational image

(Ashish Raje/MM, BCCL, Mumbai)

For the Mumbai's perpetual honkers, who love to blare the horns of their vehicles even when the traffic signal is red, the Mumbai Traffic Police has quietly come up with an unique initiative to discipline them in order to curb the alarming rise in the noise pollution levels in the country's commercial capital.

From Friday (January 31, 2020), it has installed decibel meters at certain select but heavy traffic signals to deter the habitual honkers through a campaign named 'The Punishing Signal'.

Joint Police Commissioner (Traffic) Madhukar Pandey said that the decibel monitors are connected to traffic signals around the island city, and when the cacophony exceeds the dangerous 85-decibel mark due to needless honking, the signal timer resets, entailing a double waiting time for all vehicles.

Thus, those who 'honk more, wait more', is the punishing message that is flashed at such noisy signals, making the honkers go bonkers!

"Mumbai is one of the noisiest cities in the world and lot of this noise is at the traffic signals where Mumbaikars honk even when they see the signal is red. Jointly with the FCB Interface, we have launched this innovative solution to arrest the honking menace," Pandey added.

The decibel meters have been installed and activated at major junctions or signals at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus, Marine Drive, Pedder Road, Hindmata Cinema Dadar, and Bandra.

"This is intended more for creating awareness instead of punishment. Presently it is being launched on an experimental basis to study the public response," Mumbai Police spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranaya Ashok told IANS.

Further, Pandey pointed out that honking is not only a bad habit, but also an act of traffic indiscipline besides being a major health and pollution hazard. In Mumbai, 149 and 460 honkers were booked in 2018 and 2019 respectively for honking offences.

"Sadly, many Mumbaikars indulge in reckless honking which not only causes noise pollution, but hurts eardrums, increases heart rate, causes stress and adds to traffic chaos. All recognise it, but do little to curb it. With this, hopefully we may create better road discipline and ensure a honk-less, noise-free and stress-free travel on the Mumbai roads," Pandey said.

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